The park will occupy the long narrow band running horizontally across the bottom edge of the Ontario Place complex as seen in this view. Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindaedwards/5266485498/">L.S. Edwards</a> from the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontoist">Torontoist Flickr Pool</a>.

A sliver of Ontario Place’s future look was revealed today, one promising forests, summits, rocky beaches, and a “romantic garden.”

The conceptual designs for the urban park which will occupy 7.5 acres on the far eastern end of Ontario Place were presented to media this afternoon. As envisioned by LANDInc (whose local projects include Tommy Thompson Park) and West 8 (builders of the wave decks along the waterfront), the former parking lot will become, according to a provincial press release, “a naturalized green refuge that celebrates the legacy of Ontario Place and the landscapes of Ontario.”
The Mobius strip-inspired main pathway will offer a continuous loop around the park. The west side of the park will be an elevated evergreen forest, which will shelter the lower side from lake winds. Closer to the water, users may relax on smooth pieces of granite, run up and down a rocky “scramble” connecting the park’s two levels, and stare at the city skyline from a summit at the south end. The current goal is to complete the park in time for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

An online survey has been set up to gather public reaction to the proposal. That feedback will be used to refine the design and another round of public feedback will be solicited in the spring.